More like this

Sony Ericsson ships GPRS Wi-Fi combo card

Plus: Sony upgrades to Vaio to Centrino, adds 802.11g kit

Wi-Fi

Sony Ericsson yesterday launched a combined GPRS and Wi-Fi PC Card. The GC79 allows notebook users to access the Internet via 802.11b networks when they're in range of a hotspot, and to go online over a mobile phone carrier's GPRS network when they're not.

The card provides GPRS connectivity across the three GSM bands (900, 1800 and 1900MHz) and will allow users to make dial-up calls via GSM if they can make a GPRS connection. The card also allows notebook users to send SMS messages.

will next month add support for the 802.11g wireless networking standard to its collection of WLAN products offered under the Vaio Essentials brand.

The PCWA-C300S PC Card for notebooks and the PCWA-DE30 external adaptor for desktops provide 802.11g at the client side, connecting to the PCWA-A320 access point.

All three products will be available in the middle of November. The PCWA-A320 and PCWA-DE30 are priced at £119, the PCWA-C300S at £67, all excluding sales tax.

Notebooks

Sony UK this week updated its Z1 notebook family with a pair of new models based on Intel's Centrino platform.

The key difference between the PCG-Z1RSP and the PCG-Z1RMP is the processor. The RSP has a 1.7GHz Pentium M, while the RMP has the 1.5GHz version of the chip. Both machines ship with 512MB of PC2100 DDR SDRAM, a 60GB hard drive, 14.1in, 1400 x 1050 screens powered by ATI Mobility Radeon graphics chips with 16MB of DDR video memory and a combo DVD-ROM/CD-RW optical drive.

Both provide internal 56Kbps modems and 10/100Mbps Ethernet for wired communications, and integrated 802.11b and Bluetooth for wireless connectivity. Both have two USB 2.0 ports and 1394, plus Memory Stick slots and a PC Card bay.

Sony claims a operational period of over four hours with each machine's Lithium Ion battery, specifically 4h 12m for the 1.7GHz processor and 4h 38m for the 1.5GHz machine.

Both notebooks ship with Windows XP Pro. Available now, the RSP costs £1704 excluding sales tax and the RMP will set you back £1449. ®